COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct)
Date: 2023-10-25
Institutions: Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support, European Commission
Subjects: administrative cooperation, administrative reform, competitiveness, digital transformation, governance, public administration, reduction of gas emissions, sustainable development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 25.10.2023  COM(2023) 667 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct)  
 
 
In  a  rapidly  evolving  world,  faced  with  complex  economic,  social,  technological  and 
environmental changes, as well as multiple transitions, high quality public administrations 
are essential1 for good governance and for the effectiveness of EU and Member States' action. 
The  public  sector  needs  to  be  action-oriented,  tackle  emerging  challenges,  while  strengthening 
public trust. Besides dealing with severe external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and 
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it is paramount for the EU to continue addressing climate and 
environmental challenges, build resilient and sustainable economies and fair societies, foster the 
long-term competitiveness of the EU economy2, shape the digital transformation of services and 
the work environment, promote democracy and play a strong role in the world. 

The delivery of this policy agenda relies on high quality, capable, innovative and resilient 
public administrations at all levels in the Member States. Public administrations translate EU 
policies  and  legislation  into  well-designed,  place-based,  evidence-informed,  digital-ready  and 
future-proof  domestic  actions.  They  design  and  implement  policies  critical  for  the  pursuit  of 
climate-neutrality and the 2030 sustainability agenda. They have a key role in making the EU fit 
for the digital age by ensuring seamless, secure and interoperable digital public services for a fully 
functioning Single Market, ensuring the uptake of digital skills across the society, fostering the 
adoption of emerging technologies and strengthening accountability and public oversight of their 
use. Public administration, private sector, social  partners  and educational institutions  shape the 
competitiveness of the labour force and business by promoting the skills of the future3. 

Public administrations at central, regional and local level are responsible for ensuring the 
sound and sustainable management of EU and national budgets. They collect public funds and 
revenues and  implement directly about  one third of the EU budget, including  Cohesion  Funds, 
Next  Generation  EU  and  its  centrepiece,  the  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  (RRF).  Public 
administrations  are  crucial  in  designing  and  implementing  reforms  and  investments  under  the 
National Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs), as well as regional development strategies that 
underpin an effective use of Cohesion  Funds.  Public administrations manage the public sector, 
which is responsible for 51.5% of EU GDP4, employs around 21% of the EU workforce5, accounts 
for 19.8% of EU total gross value added6 and creates every year a market worth about EUR 670 
billion through contracts for public works and supply7.  
Public administrations play a key role in promoting growth across regions8. Quality of public 
institutions  at  regional  and  local  level  is  a  prerequisite  for  place-based  policies,  regional 
competitiveness and attractiveness for investment9. This is important to avoid development traps, 
particularly in less developed and transition regions.  

1 European Commission, 2021 Strategic Foresight Report. 
2 COM (2023) 168 final on Long-term competitiveness of the EU: looking beyond 2030. 
3 COM (2020) 274 final on European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness, and resilience. 
4 Data from Eurostat (2021). 
5 This includes data from the EU Labour Force Survey for public administration, defence, compulsory social security, 
education, and health sectors (2022). 
6 Data from Eurostat (2020).  
7 This figure refers to public tenders above specific contract values published in the Supplement to the Official Journal 
of the European Union (S series):  https://simap.ted.europa.eu/en_GB/web/simap/european-public-procurement. 
8 European Commission, 8th Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion. 
9 COM (2023) 32 final on Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions.  

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Public administrations are  essential for democratic governance and upholding the rule of 
law. Public administrations need to preserve and improve public’s trust and to uphold democracy10 
through  high  standards  of  integrity,  transparency,  accountability  and  preventing  and  fighting 
against  corruption11.  They  ensure  participatory  policymaking,  the  quality,  inclusiveness,  and 
proximity  of  services12,  appropriate  regulatory  frameworks  using  the  best  available  scientific 
knowledge and evidence, including the ethical use of AI and other digital technologies, and by 
safeguarding the sustainability of public finances. Well-functioning public administrations serve 
the needs of people, paying particular attention to the most vulnerable, and businesses by removing 
remaining barriers, reducing the administrative burden and deepening the functioning of the Single 
Market and the application of its four fundamental freedoms. 

The quality standards of Member States’ public administrations are also a reference point 
for enlargement countries, which align their laws and practices with those of the EU and face 
similar  challenges,  such  as  the  twin  transitions  and  demographic  change.  Quality  public 
administration is already a fundamental requirement for accession, as is the rule of law.  
Government  effectiveness  across  the  EU  should  be  improved13.  Public  administrations 
generally succeeded in maintaining critical functions during the COVID-19 crisis14, but the latter 
did magnify gaps in the digital preparedness, inconsistencies in the strategic planning and crisis 
management capabilities. Important differences in terms of quality of services and policymaking 
remain  across  Member  States15.  Through  the  European  Semester,  particularly  in  the  dedicated 
annex on public administration in the country reports, the Commission has increasingly focused 
its attention on the quality of public administration.  

Better implementation of EU policy and better administrative performance could save EU 
taxpayers and businesses billions of euros every year. The Member States could save EUR 64.2 
billion annually by improving their administrative performance. Companies could save EUR 2.2 
billion annually at EU level if the administrative procedures and costs to establish a business were 
aligned with those of the best performing Member States16. In a recent Eurobarometer survey17, 
Europeans expressed their expectation that public administrations become less bureaucratic (48%), 
faster in delivering services (47%), more transparent and closer to the people. They also see the 
Commission as an enabler for better crises’ reaction and an important facilitator of cooperation 
and knowledge exchange to make public administrations more efficient and effective. 
Public administrations need to anticipate changes, in addition to responding to them18. To 
this effect they have to strengthen their ability to plan in a whole-of-government manner, to adapt 
their  working  methods  to  rapid  technological  change,  and  continuously  review  and  innovate 

10 European Democracy Action Plan. 
11 Anti-corruption package. 
12 For example, through one-stop-shops for the permitting of renewables and net-zero projects. COM (2023) 62 final 
on A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age. 
13 The World Bank, Government Effectiveness Index. 
14 OECD (2023), More resilient public administrations after COVID-19. Report from Technical Support Instrument 
project on ‘Strengthening the resilience of public administrations after the COVID-19 crisis with CAF 2020’. 
15 EU Single Market Scoreboard, EU Digital Economy and Society Index, OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook. 
16 European Commission, Report on the cost of underperformance in public administration. Forthcoming. 
17 Special Eurobarometer 523 Understanding Europeans’ views on reform needs (April 2023). 
18 The Horizon Europe sponsored Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) of the OECD provides guidance 
and tailored advice on ways governments can support innovation, including anticipatory innovation approaches. 

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policymaking19 and citizen-oriented service delivery. At the same time, besides ongoing strategic 
planning  in  the  frame  of  multiannual  budget  exercise  or  programming  of  EU  Structural  and 
Cohesion  Funds,  public  administrations  should  promote  forward-looking  activities  and 
capabilities, such as strategic foresight in cooperation with academia, researchers and dedicated 
think tanks. 

Public administrations encounter growing difficulties in ensuring a professional and stable 
workforce20. Only one in seven Europeans see public administrations as an attractive employer21. 
Less  developed  and  populated  regional  and  local  administrations  face  even  more  obstacles  to 
attract  talent.  Demographic  data  shows  that  ageing  in  several  Member  States  will  cause  large 
retirement waves in their civil services in the next 10 years. With specific requirements and lengthy 
recruitment  times,  public  administrations  are  exposed  to  serious  risks  to  ensuring  continuity, 
stability,  adaptability  and  good  performance.  Adult  learning  is  low  in  some  Member  States, 
limiting  the  skills  pool  that  administrations  can  draw  from22.  Moreover,  outsourcing  expertise 
tends  to  reduce  public  administrations’  ability  to  learn  and  build  experience  to  manage  more 
complex tasks. 

Recognising the above challenges, the Commission has deployed a range of tools to support 
the  administrative  transformation  of  the  Member  States23.  The  RRF  supports  a  range  of 
reforms and investments to improve the quality and accessibility of public services at all levels24. 
The  Technical  Support  Instrument  (TSI)25  provides  expertise  to  design  and  implement  a  wide 
range  of  reforms.  In  addition,  the  Commission  helps  the  Member  States  through  country  and 
thematic analysis, capacity building, guidance and facilitation of peer exchange26. The Technical 
Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the Commission27 extended its support to the 
public administrations of the Member States for the application and enforcement of EU legislation 
as well as for the sharing of EU good practices.  

The  Commission  has  a  steady  engagement  with  peer  administrations  notably  through  two 
complementary networks, the Expert Group on Public Administration28 and the European Public 
Administration  Network  (EUPAN)29,  that  aim  at  sharing  knowledge  and  practices.  This 
collaboration was strengthened through regular meetings of  the Expert Group and more frequent 
informal Ministerial meetings, leading to conclusions on the common challenges faced by public 
administrations,  notably  the  Conclusions  of  the  Lisbon  informal  Ministerial  Meeting30  and  the 

19  European  Commission,  SWD  (2022)  346,  Supporting  and  connecting  policymaking  in  the  Member  States  with 
scientific research. 
20 OECD (2023), Strengthening the attractiveness of the public service in France: Towards a territorial approach. 
21 See footnote 17 (Eurobarometer). 
22  Focus  topic  of  the  European  Education  Area.  Council  Resolution  2021/C  66/01  on  a  strategic  framework  for 
European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030). 
23 European Parliament (2016), Public Sector Reform: How the EU budget is used to encourage it.  
24 Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. 
25  Regulation  (EU)  2021/240  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  10  February  2021  establishing  a 
Technical Support Instrument. 
26  European  Commission,  SWD  (2021)  101, Supporting  public  administrations  in  EU  Member  States  to  deliver 
reforms and prepare for the future. 
27 TAIEX. 
28  European  Commission,  C(2021)  9535  final,  Setting  up  the  group  of  experts  on  public  administration  and 
governance. 
29 EUPAN – European Public Administration Network. 
30 Informal meeting of EU Public administration Ministers (2021). 

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Strasbourg Declaration31. The exchanges address several key areas such as increasing the overall 
attractiveness of public administrations and revamping their branding as modern employers, digital 
and green transformation, the development of capacity in the public administration at all levels or 
the fostering of synergies between projects implemented under the TSI, the RRF and other EU or 
nationally funded programmes.  

RRF support for reforms and investments in public administrations  

The  modernisation  of  public  administrations  features  prominently  in  several  RRPs  for  an  estimated 
budget  of  EUR  1.8  billion.  Flagship  reforms  and  investments  address  among  others  digitalisation  of 
public administration, cybersecurity (Bulgaria, Czechia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, 
Romania,  Slovenia,  Slovakia),  justice  systems  and  the  quality  of  the  legislative  process  (Bulgaria, 
Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Czechia, Croatia, Latvia, Italy, Malta, Slovakia, Romania, Slovenia), the fight 
against corruption and protection of whistle-blowers (Estonia, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, Finland, 
Luxembourg, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia). 

Experience  from  EU  programmes,  including  the  TSI,  as  well  as  the  aforementioned 
Conclusions of informal Ministerial meetings under the EUPAN, indicate the interest of the 
Member  States  for  a  wider  and  deeper  cooperation  among  themselves  and  with  the 
Commission. The Commission is therefore putting forward in this Communication a set of 
actions  (hereafter  the  ‘ComPAct’)  to  better  assist  Member  States’  administrations  in 
preparing for current reform needs and anticipating future trends, based on a common set 
of public administration principles. 

Enhancing the European Administrative Space 

Despite  a  large  variety  of  institutional  set-ups  and  legal  traditions,  Member  States’  public 
administrations share a set of values, tasks and understanding of good administration32, forming a 
European Administrative Space33.  

A common set of overarching principles34 underpin the quality of public administration:  

•  Strategic vision and leadership that ensures capability, resilience and sustained public trust. 

•  Coherent,  anticipatory,  evidence-informed,  participatory,  digital-ready,  and  inclusive 

policymaking. 

•  An  impartial,  professional,  merit-based,  collaborative,  and  effective  civil  service, 

performing in good working conditions. 

•  High-quality, innovative, human-centric, and accessible public services.  

•  Subsidiarity, coordination, accountability, openness of public administration, integrity, and 

oversight of administrative processes. 

31 Strasbourg Declaration on the Common values and challenges of European Public Administrations (2022). 
32 Study of the Swedish Agency for Public Administration conducted within the EUPAN (2023), Good administration 
in European countries. 
33 Term used to describe an increasing convergence of administrative practices among the Member States based on 
shared values and principles, towards common standards and approaches of operation. 
34 Based on the Principles of Public Administration, SIGMA (EU – OECD collaboration). Forthcoming revised 2023. 

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•  Sound  and  sustainable  public  finances,  underpinned  by  integrated  and  comprehensive 

accruals-based public accounting systems. 

With the ComPAct, the Commission aims to enhance the European Administrative Space by 
promoting these principles and reinforcing its support for the administrative modernisation 
of the Member States. The ComPAct respects and does not affect the competence and specific 
characteristics of the Member States. The actions will be financed within the existing EU funding 
mechanisms and through existing cooperation networks. The ComPAct will make best use of the 
experience  already  gained  through  EU  programmes,  including  the  TSI  as  well  as  the  existing 
exchanges  in  the  context  of  the  Commission’s  Expert  Group  for  Public  Administration  and 
Governance and the EUPAN, and will offer new and enhanced opportunities for administrations 
at all levels in Member States to cooperate and learn from each other. The ComPAct also elaborates 
on the experience of the Commission through the deployment of its Human Resources, Digital and 
Greening strategies35. 

The ComPAct is a response to calls by the Member States36, the European Parliament37 and 
the Committee of the Regions38 for the Commission to foster cooperation and policy dialogue as 
well as to help improve the capacity and the quality of public administrations at central, regional 
and local level in Europe. 

The ComPAct will also help EU enlargement countries on their path to building better public 
administrations  by  providing  opportunities  for  them  to  increase  their  involvement  in  peer 
exchange and learning. This can also be done by facilitating the access  to TSI for enlargement 
countries.  

Accelerated integration: Participation of enlargement countries as observers in TSI projects 

Developing a professional and well-performing public administration is one of the fundamentals for EU 
accession. In the context of an initiative on ‘accelerated integration’, EU enlargement candidates can 
now participate in several Member States projects, tackling common problems together. For example, 
Albania participates as an observer in a project with Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands on managing 
better  civic  participation  and  emergent  technologies.  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  and  Moldova  are 
observers in a project with Estonia on strategic and sustainable public procurement policy. 

The ComPAct comprises three pillars: 

•  Pillar 1. The Public Administration Skills Agenda  

Foster  administrative  cooperation  between  public  administrations  at  all  levels  to  help 
develop their workforces for current and future challenges. 

•  Pillar 2. Capacity for Europe’s Digital Decade 

Strengthen the capacity of public administrations for their digital transformation.  

35 European Commission, C(2022) 2229 final, A new Human Resources Strategy for the Commission; C(2022) 4388 
final, European Commission digital strategy; C(2022) 2230 final, Greening the Commission. 
36 See footnote 31 (Strasbourg Declaration).  
37 European Parliament (2019), Resolution on assessing how the EU budget is used for public sector reform. 
38 Committee of the Regions (2019), Improving administrative capacity of local and regional authorities to strengthen 
investments and structural reforms in 2021-2027. 

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•  Pillar 3. Capacity to lead the green transition 

Strengthen  the  capacity  of  public  administrations  to  lead  the  green  transition  and  build 
resilience. 

Pillar 1. The Public Administration Skills Agenda 

Labour  markets  are  undergoing  structural  transformations,  notably  due  to  demographic 
change39  and  the  twin  transitions.  Against  this  background,  public  administrations  face  a 
strong competition for talent, especially in areas requiring new sets of skills, knowledge, and 
competences.  Digital  transformation  also  requires  a  substantial  increase  of  the  participation  of 
civil servants in adult learning activities40, as well as the rethinking of work processes to harness 
the potential of automation, data and interoperability. It should lead to considering new ways of 
cooperation  with  the  private  sector,  particularly  with  start-ups  and  SMEs41.  Leading  the  green 
transition requires a multidisciplinary approach to policymaking, strong coordination and planning 
capacities  across  all  levels  of  public  administration    and  strong  communication  skills.  These 
changing needs and requirements for the workforce, as well as the evolution of the workplace, 
require  targeted  actions  to  create  an  attractive  working  environment.  The  dialogue  with  social 
partners,  both  at  central  and  regional  level,  contributes  to  create  an  enabling  environment  to 
address these various challenges. 

The Public Administration Skills Agenda will support Member States in their efforts to build 
resilient, attractive,  transparent and high performing public administrations by  equipping 
them  with  a  wide  range  of  tools  to  upskill  and  reskill  their  workforces.  It  will  complement 
measures  implemented  under  the  RRPs,  where  the  digitalisation  of  public  services  is  often 
accompanied  by  digital  upskilling,  including  to  improve  skills  on  data  analytics,  AI  and 
cybersecurity.  Some  RRPs  contain  reforms  aiming  at  establishing  competence  centres  for  civil 
servants and improving human resource management in public administrations. 

The actions under this pillar will deliver on and be consistent with the EU Skills Agenda and 
the actions under the European Year of Skills. They can contribute to reaching the 2030 EU 
headline target of at least 60% of all adults in training every year and to the national targets42. The 
actions under this pillar will be implemented primarily through the TSI. The Commission will also 
leverage cooperation with peer administrations within the Expert Group for Public Administration 
and Governance and the EUPAN network, the Network of Directors of Institutes and Schools of 
Public Administration (DISPA) and the European School of Administration. Other relevant EU 
and international networks and bodies will be associated.  

39 European Commission, COM(2023) 577 final, Demographic change in Europe: a toolbox for action. 
40 Eurostat, Labour Force Survey 2021. 
41 See, for instance, the European GovTech platform. 
42 Commission welcomes Member States' targets for a more social Europe by 2030. 

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1.  Public Administration Cooperation Exchange (PACE) 

Member States have called for ‘strengthened mobility of public workers in Europe’
, encouraging 
cooperation  among  administrations  and  the  creation  of  communities  of  practice.  Several  EU 
instruments already support sectoral exchanges of experience and mutual learning44. 

43

To further promote the exchange of experience between the public administrations of the Member 
States  and  sharing  of  knowledge  and  best  practices,  the  Commission  is  ready  to  scale  up  and 
consolidate its support to PACE. The latter builds on a positive experience, i.e. a pilot exchange 
programme for middle managers set up in 2021 by the Member States and the Commission as a 
deliverable of an EUPAN informal Ministerial meeting under the Portuguese Presidency . These 
exchanges  will  support,  on  a  demand-driven  basis,  specific  organisational  needs  of  the  public 
administrations such as the implementation of reforms, the development of policy initiatives or the 
introduction  of  new  management  approaches.  They  will  contribute  to  creating  a  European 
community of civil servants.  

45

Exchanges between the Member States’ public administrations 

Under the TSI 2023 PACE flagship46, over 300 civil servants take part in more than 70 planned exchanges 
facilitated by TAIEX. 18 Member States participate in the exchange experience on new ways of working, 
on implementing green policies, on reinforcing digitalisation in the public administration, on strategies and 
models for attracting talent and for career development, on modernising their human resources’ function, 
on  promoting  leadership,  organisational  learning,  ethics  and  anti-corruption.  The  Commission  closely 
supports,  contributes  to  the  knowledge  sharing  and  may  participate  as  a  peer  administration47.  The 
exchanges build on previous bilateral projects and allow Member States to expand cooperation and mutual 
learning. 

The Commission will: 

•  Scale up PACE to an annual exchange programme as part of the TSI, to facilitate the 
mobility  of  European  civil  servants  across  the  Member  States,  with  the  support  and 
participation  of  the  Commission.  The  PACE  will  provide  a  common  operational 
framework and adequate funding for targeted exchanges, during which the civil servants 
will be embedded in another administration for a set period. [from Q1 2024] 

Member States are encouraged to participate actively in PACE and other EU peer exchange tools 
by  prioritising  and  coordinating  needs,  hosting  exchanges,  and  providing  feedback  on  ways  to 
improve. They can widen participation in exchanges by promoting training in foreign languages 
for their civil servants. 

43 See footnote 31 (Strasbourg Declaration). 
44  In  sectors  such  as  customs  and  taxation (Common  Learning  Event  Programme), public  employment  (European 
Network  of  Public  Employment  Services),  management  of  the  ERDF,  Cohesion  Fund  and  Just  Transition  Fund 
(REGIO  Peer2Peer  +),  implementation  of  Single  Market  legislation  (Internal  Market  Information  System), 
implementation  of  data  strategy  and  AI  (European  Digital  Innovation  Hubs  Working  Group  on  AI  in  public 
administrations), research and innovation (Mutual learning exercises on R&I policy challenges), official publications 
(European Forum of Official Gazettes). 
45 See footnote 30 (informal meeting public administration ministers). 
46 2023 PACE flagship.  
47 Through its administrative expenses budget. 

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2. Cooperation for training and capacity building 

Reskilling and upskilling are massive tasks in public administrations, given the estimated 9 million 
staff in central, regional, and local administrations across the Member States and the approximately 
41  million  employees  in  the  EU-wide  public  sector48.  National  institutes,  schools  of  public 
administration  or  dedicated  training  institutions  play  a  key  role  in  most  Member  States  in 
developing the competencies and capacities of civil servants for improved management of public 
policies. Training and capacity building are often challenged by a combination of high competition 
for funding, heavy workload, and the scarce availability of training opportunities. Moreover, the 
large variety of novel topics makes it difficult to cover all aspects at the national level. Reinforced 
cooperation  between  national  authorities  and  the  Commission  can  address  some  of  these 
challenges, as well as active exchanges with international partners on good practices.  

The EU Customs training Programme – Building Customs Management Expertise together. 

Under the Customs training Programme, the Commission and the Member States recognise the Centres of 
Training Expertise on specific customs topics in a partnership agreement. The Member State(s) concerned 
provide training to other Member States annually, keep up to date on the topic and work with trainers and 
training  departments  from  other  Member  States.  Since  2014,  around  1.000  customs  officers  have  been 
trained and around 130 common learning events have been organised. 

The promotion of e-learning on public administration topics will enable the direct access of all 
civil servants across the Member States and will also facilitate self-paced learning. The outreach 
of the training courses and materials could be significantly extended thanks to translation into the 
EU languages, thus enabling a wider access for smaller administrations.  

The Commission has already developed e-training opportunities, for example on interoperability, 
digital  transformation,  entrepreneurship,  financial  and  sustainability  competence,  learning 
networks49 and communities of practice50. 

The Commission will: 

•  Set-up a Network of Centres of Excellence for the provision of thematic training for civil 
servants across the EU. The network will create a common training catalogue and facilitate 
the training offer to civil servants through the Centres of Excellence in the Member States 
on specific topics, such as customs, rule of law, corruption prevention and integrity, green 
transition,  innovative public procurement,  use of scientific evidence in policymaking or 
AI. This model will contribute to providing a larger catalogue of high-quality training to 
the public administrations across the EU and to the financial sustainability of training while 
increasing the investment efficiency. In this context, the Commission will further support 
national training organisations in developing their capacity to assess training needs and 
strengthen their training policies for civil servants. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Establish  an  EU  Public  Administration  Leadership  programme  focused  on  senior 
managers in the public administrations of the Member States. An EU-wide approach that 
includes the design of common curricula, mutual learning exercises and sharing of good 

48 The staff of public administration at central, regional, and local level is estimated based on national reports. This 
number is not based on a harmonized methodology on the scope of public administration. The  public sector staff is 
calculated using Eurostat data from the EU Labour Force Survey (2022).  
49 Such as the EU Civil Protection Knowledge Network. 
50 Such as the Public Buyers Community Platform.  

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practices  will  enable  managers  to  be  better  prepared  for  the  complexity  of  public 
leadership,  especially  as they  have a  crucial role  in bringing forward and implementing 
reforms in public administration, harnessing talent and driving innovation. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Develop a public administration section on the EU Academy platform51 with dedicated 
training courses and programmes, ranging from horizontal ones, such as policymaking, co-
creation and deliberation methods to engage citizens in planning, rule of law, corruption 
prevention and integrity, project management to more specialised ones, such as managing 
the green transition, interoperability or cyber-threat management. E-learning courses could 
be  complemented  with  existing  guidance  and  training  materials  prepared  by  the 
Commission on EU topics and include links to national and international sources. [from 
Q2 2024] 

The wider uptake of training opportunities could be complemented by the Member States with 
resources for upskilling and capacity building under the Cohesion Policy. 

3. Cooperation for administrative capacity at regional and local level 

Regional and local public administrations are the closest to people and play a key role in delivering 
proximity services. They implement 70% of all EU legislation, 90% of climate adaptation policies, 
and 65% of the Sustainable Development Goals52. They drive the public innovation agenda, plan, 
and implement investments using EU funds through place-based solutions, and are at the forefront 
of climate change impacts, civil protection and social cohesion. They are also the closest to the 
local needs  and concerns, in terms of environmental protection, housing, mobility, culture, and 
education53.  

Regional  and  local  public  administrations  share  most  of  the  challenges  of  the  central  public 
administrations  but  also  have  their  own  specificities.  Most  local  administrations  are  relatively 
small,  are  often  under-resourced  and  lack  experts54.  A  range  of  responsibilities  requires  direct 
contact  with  people.  Professional  mobility  and  access  to  training  and  knowledge  tend  to  be 
relatively limited, careers tend to be longer, and the skills pool depends on the overall level of local 
development  and  economic  activity.  Given  these  limitations,  as  well  as  the  different  socio-
economic and geographical contexts, regional and local administrations require specific support 
to prepare them design policies tailored to local specificities, as well as develop strategies at the 
right territorial scale addressing complex issues such as urban-rural interaction, permitting, green 
procurement,  innovation,  and  other  driving  factors  of  balanced  local  development.  Limited 
capacity and capabilities of Member States’ public administrations at regional and local level can 
also  hinder  the  effective  use  of  available  funding,  including  that  made  through  the  Cohesion 
Policy. 

51 EU Academy. 
52 Resolution of the European Committee of the  Regions  - The Green Deal in partnership with local and regional 
authorities (2020/C 79/01). 
53  Expenditure  by  EU  local  governments  in  these  sectors  in  2021  represented  respectively  71%  (environmental 
protection), 70% (Housing and community amenities), 53% (Recreation, culture and religion), and 36% (Education) 
of the total expenditure by the general government. 
54 69% of municipalities reported suffering from a lack of experts with environmental and climate assessment skills 
and staff with technical and engineering expertise. EIB Municipalities Survey 2022-2023.  

9 

 
 
 
 
The Commission will: 

•  Continue to expand the access of regional and local entities to the TSI, on a demand-
driven basis, including through initiatives such as the TSI flagship on ‘Overcoming barriers 
to regional development’55. [from Q4 2023] 

•  Organise  an  annual  Local  Public  Administration  Day  in  the  context  of  the  European 
Week of Regions and Cities, co-hosted by the Commission. The event will give regional 
and local administrations an opportunity to discuss their specific governance challenges. 
The  Committee  of  the  Regions  and  EU  umbrella  organisations  of  regional  and  local 
administrations will be involved  in  contributing  to  the discussions and mutual learning. 
The event will identify specific and practical ways in which the Commission can support 
regional and local administrations in their modernisation efforts and capacity building. In 
addition, the Commission will explore further ways to facilitate the creation of consortia 
and  partnerships  of  local  authorities  that  could  pool  the  competences  needed  to  handle 
large-scale projects. [from Q3 2024] 

•  Deepen its research into the limitations and opportunities of the administrative capacity of 
the regional and local administrations; and carry out targeted studies and surveys, which 
will inform the next editions of the Cohesion report. [from Q3 2024] 

4. Human resource management tools in public administration 

To ensure a stable capacity and professionalism, public administrations need to anticipate the long-
term  development  of their workforce  and the skills that they will require.  However, workforce 
planning, systematic HR data analysis and anticipation of job profiles are still relatively limited. 
A reference catalogue of competency frameworks, the ‘Passport of core competences’, would help 
address these needs and improve recruitment and career development approaches. 
The  ‘Passport’  will  be  based  on  existing  EU  and  national  competency  frameworks56,  such  as 
policymaking,  management  of  funds,  public  procurement,  taxation,  customs,  public  sector 
interoperability and project management. It will be extended to new areas57 such as digital skills, 
entrepreneurship skills, leadership skills, managing investments, as well as innovation. 

The 'Innovative Policymaking' competence model for policymaking 

This  competence  framework  was  developed  by  the  Commission  and  covers  cross-cutting  competences 
relevant for policymakers throughout the policy cycle. It sets out a future oriented perspective for different 
roles in policymaking. 36 competences are divided into 7 clusters: advise the political level, innovate, work 
with evidence, be futures literate, engage with citizens and stakeholders, collaborate, and communicate. 
This  framework  complements  the  framework  targeting  researchers  (‘Science  for  policy’),  whose 
competences  are  divided  into  5  clusters:  understanding  policy,  participating  in  policymaking, 
communication, engaging with citizens and stakeholders, and collaborating. 

55 TSI 2024 flagship- Overcoming barriers to regional development.  
56 Corresponding order: Competence frameworks for policymakers and researchers, EU Competency Framework for 
the  management  and  implementation  of  the  ERDF  and  Cohesion  Fund,  EU  Competency  framework  for  public 
procurement professionals, EU Competency Framework for Taxation, EU Customs Competency Framework, Public 
Sector Interoperability, and Project management methodology. 
57 Taking into account the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens, the European Entrepreneurship Competence 
Framework and the EU sustainability competence framework. 

10 

 
 
 
Based on existing competency frameworks, the Commission has developed several tools to assess 
the necessary skills for different areas of competence and will explore the need of Member States 
for similar tools.  

In  addition,  public  administrations  need  data  and  thematic  information  to  better  inform  their 
training needs and competences development. Comparative data on public administration is still 
relatively limited.  

The Commission will: 

•  Develop  a  ‘Passport  of  core  competences’  applicable  to  jobs  and  roles  in  public 
administrations,  including  leadership  skills.  The  ‘Passport’  will  help  the  public 
administrations to design modern and advanced policies to develop their human resources, 
prepare for future skills needs and help intra-EU mobility of civil servants. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Support the Member States in modernising their HR policies, with guidance and piloting 
the transfer of competency frameworks and HR tools (for example, to identify skills gaps 
in their workforce) into their organisational context. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Update  and  expand  the  Quality  of  Public  Administration  Toolbox58  to  guide  the 

modernisation of public administrations. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Develop  methodologies  for  relevant  public  administration  indicators,  help  improve 
existing tools for data production, conduct cross-EU studies on relevant topics, such as 
attractiveness  of  public  administration,  the  effects  of  the  demographic  changes  and  the 
future of jobs in public administration. It will promote on a Public Administration Portal 
a wide range of data and information capturing the status and performance of the public 
administrations across the EU. [from Q1 2024] 

Pillar 2. Capacity for Europe’s Digital Decade 

The  Digital  Decade  sets  out  the  targets,  by  2030,  of  having  100%  of  key  public  services 
accessible online for people and businesses, granting all people access to their medical records 
online and to a secure electronic identification means (eID) recognised throughout the EU while 
taking into account the needs of people who do not have full access to digital services or have 
limited capability. Digitalising administrative procedures, engaging in technical preparations for 
providing EU Digital Identity Wallets by 2026, increasing the automated exchange of evidence 
and information59 to deliver user-centric digital public services and improving the digital skills of 
staff  are  important  prerequisites  for  public  administrations  to  achieve  these  targets.  Public 
administrations can generate efficiency gains amounting between EUR 439 million and EUR 1.3 
billion a year by increasing the use of digital public services by up to 80 % by 203060. Improving 
cross-border interoperability of digital public services could lead to efficiency gains up to EUR 
6.3 million for people and between EUR 5.7 and EUR 19.2 billion for businesses61. The objectives 

58 Quality of Public administration Toolbox (2017 edition).   
59 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1463 setting out technical and operational specifications of the 
technical system for the cross-border automated exchange of evidence and application of the ‘once-only’ principle. 
60 See footnote 16 (Report on the cost of underperformance in public administration). 
61 European Commission, SWD (2022) 721, Impact Assessment Report for the Interoperable Europe Act proposal. 

11 

 
 
 
of the Digital Decade guide public administrations through their own digital transformation and 
support their adaptation to technological changes.  

The fast evolution of digital technologies and their use require active adaptation of the legal 
framework62: from the use of digital tools to data availability and exchange, to interoperability, 
and the ethical use of AI and other digital technologies. Further to digital upskilling and reskilling, 
public administrations need to embrace interoperability, leverage the increased availability of large 
amount  of  data,  digitalise  administrative  procedures,  and  become  AI-ready.  They  should  also 
strengthen their cooperation on digital governance in the EU to share and jointly develop solutions, 
avoid  fragmentation,  pool  data  processing  resources,  and  improve  data  sharing.  This  would 
diminish the digital divide by rendering public services more inclusive and accessible to all. 

The actions under this pillar will be implemented primarily through the TSI and other EU funding 
mechanisms,  such  as  the  Digital  Europe  Programme,  the  Single  Market  Programme  and 
Connecting Europe Facility 2. 

5. Future-proof digital public administration 

Public administrations need to adopt digital technologies while changing the way in which they 
operate. They are expected to provide services in a seamless and user-friendly manner for people, 
businesses, and their own staff. This often entails a profound (digital) transformation to re-design 
current processes or change policies, simplify the daily life of people and improve the business 
environment by reducing bureaucracy.  

Through the enforcement of EU digital legislation, public administrations can collaborate more 
effectively,  align  their  efforts  with  EU-wide  objectives,  and  establish  more  resilient  and 
sustainable digital and data infrastructures and services. EU legislation provides the framework 
for  effective  and  secure  data  exchange  and  interoperability  between  public  administrations.  A 
structured  cooperation  mechanism  between  the  digital  transformation  offices  of  the  Member 
States, usually the Chief Information Officers, is critical for the EU public sector interoperability. 
This  facilitates  joint  innovation  projects,  allows  for  reuse  of  tested  technologies,  and  reduces 
investment cost and risk, allowing faster and safer roll-out of connected digital public services63. 
Moreover,  the  NIS2  Directive64  requires  public  administrations  to  take  appropriate  and 
proportionate cybersecurity measures and ensure the secure provision of their services. In 2023, 
EUR 30 million were allocated in the Digital Europe Programme to support the implementation 
of EU legislation on cybersecurity and national cybersecurity strategies. 

The Commission is monitoring the impact of digital transformation on public governance across 
the EU by gathering and analysing data, from existing or emerging monitoring mechanisms65, and 

62 The  digital-related  regulatory  framework  includes  the  proposed  Data  Act,  the  Open  Data  Directive  and  related 
Implementing Regulation on high-value datasets, the Data Governance Act, the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act, 
the proposed Interoperable Europe Act, the Digital Markets Act, and the Digital Services Act. 
63 European Commission, COM/2022/710 final, A strengthened public sector interoperability policy.  
64 Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on measures for a 
high common level of cybersecurity across the Union.  
65 Following recent work on landscaping the monitoring of interoperability and digital transformation and identifying 
opportunities for streamlining European monitoring of digital policies by the European Commission’s Joint Research 
Centre. 

12 

 
 
 
by sharing findings and recommendations. It is also studying the impact, risks and opportunities 
of AI and emerging technologies for public administrations66.  

The TSI has already supported 180 digital transformation reforms across the Member States to 
develop strategies for the uptake of new digital technologies, strengthen digital governance, create 
prototypes, or test new solutions.  At the same time, RRPs support the digital transformation of 
public administrations, with 37% of the digital expenditure, or EUR 53 billion, devoted to digital 
public  services  and  e-government.  Reforms  aim  at  introducing  or  improving  e-government 
solutions, such as eID deployment, at ensuring the interoperability of digital public platforms, as 
well  as  at  improving  data  collection  and  management.  Investments  aim  to  integrate  advanced 
technologies  in  government  processes,  as  well  as  strengthening  cybersecurity.  Planned 
investments in Cohesion Policy 2021-2027 supporting digital transition amount to more than EUR 
39  billion.  This  includes  EUR  11.2  billion  envisaged  for  digital  services  and  digitalisation  of 
business and public administrations.  

The Commission also supports public-private ‘GovTech’ cooperation that stimulates public sector 
innovation and helps make public services more accessible, inclusive and efficient. A knowledge 
hub and a virtual space showcasing experiences promotes the uptake of emerging technologies, 
such  as  virtual  worlds  and  Web  4.0,  in  the  public  sector  (Public  Sector  Tech  Watch)67.  The 
Commission  co-funds  AI  Testing  and  Experimentation  Facilities  for  Smart  Cities  and 
Communities  through  a  five-year  long  and  EUR  40  million  project  focusing  on  climate, 
environment, mobility and other local infrastructures.  

Better synergies can be established between the provision of technical support and the ongoing 
actions for the implementation of the Digital Decade. To this end, the Commission will continue 
to share good practices and actively promote the piloting and operational uptake under the TSI of 
models and prototypes developed under various other EU programmes (notably Horizon 2020 and 
Horizon Europe, Digital Europe Programme, Justice).  

The Commission will: 

•  Support public administrations in implementing digital and data-related legislation and 
increasing their readiness to integrate AI technologies into their operations in a safe 
and  trustworthy  way,  supervising  AI  technologies,  strengthening  cybersecurity  and 
designing and implementing public policies, including to support convergence of public 
procurement practices. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Promote  the  sustainable  and  effective  use  of  emerging  technologies  by  public 
administrations, for example through the development of open standards or support for 
cross-border  public  services  using  decentralised  technologies  such  as  distributed  ledger 
technologies (e.g., blockchain). [from Q1 2024] 

The Member States are encouraged to use existing and new opportunities to increase their digital 
readiness, including through technical support and participation in communities of practice. They 
are also encouraged to promote these opportunities within their administrations and support the 
secure integration of AI and other digital technologies in their operations. In particular, the AI-on-

66  European Commission, Joint Research Centre, AI Watch. European landscape on the use of Artificial Intelligence 
by  the  Public  Sector,  European  Landscape  on  the  Use  of  Blockchain  Technology  by  the  Public  Sector  and  Next 
generation virtual worlds: opportunities, challenges, and policy implications. 
67 See JoinUp. 

13 

 
 
 
Demand Platform will support the uptake of trustworthy, ethical and transparent AI technologies 
by industry and the public sector. Additionally, they can actively participate in existing and future 
European  Digital  Infrastructure  Consortia  for  emerging  trends  and  programmes  such  as  virtual 
worlds, Language Technologies and CitiVerses. 

6. Frameworks, guidelines, and tools for digital transformation 

The EU aims to ensure that services are accessible to all people without discrimination, in line 
with agreed values and principles in the digital area68 such as the ‘once-only’ principle and human-
centricity. Increasing interoperability is essential in this regard, as it enables legal, organisational, 
semantic, and  technical  harmonisation for cross-border data exchange, as recommended  by the 
European Interoperability Framework. Interoperability is also crucial to eliminating barriers to the 
Single  Market  and  delivering  interconnected  digital  public  services.  Specific  interoperable 
solutions  have  been  developed  in  various  areas69,  such  as  customs,  public  procurement,  or 
legislation70.  Furthermore,  the  Commission  has  proposed  specific  actions  to  improve  the 
coordination of social security systems through further digitalisation71. With its participation in the 
Living-in.EU  movement,  the  Commission  encourages  cities  and  communities  to  scale  up 
commonly agreed, interoperable digital solutions to provide more informed, innovative and high-
quality services to people and businesses. 

Efforts  towards  interoperability  are  multifaceted  and  include  the  interconnection  of  relevant 
infrastructures,  such  as  cloud  infrastructures,  the  upcoming  legal  framework  around  digital 
identity, providing for common specifications for EU Digital Identity Wallets, and the data spaces 
for public administration72.  

The Once-Only Technical System 
The  Single  Digital  Gateway  Regulation73  provides  the  legal  framework  for  the  creation  of  Common 
European data spaces for public administrations to share information in a trusted way. By December 2023, 
a government-to-government data space, known as the Once-Only Technical System, will be established 
by the Commission and Member States. It will significantly ease and speed up cross-border administrative 
procedures to share data and documents covered by the Single Digital Gateway. It will thus be easier for 
people to study, move, work, retire and for companies and SMEs to do business across the EU. The system 
will connect public authorities across the EU so that they can exchange official documents and data needed 
for these administrative procedures at the citizen’s or companies request. 

The Commission will: 

•  Support the delivery of fully accessible online administrative services by using the Single 
Digital  Gateway,  the  eGovernment  initiative  to  digitalise  public  administration  and  the 

68 Berlin Declaration on Digital Society and Value-based Digital Government. 
69 Joinup platform. 
70  The  EU  Single  Window  Environment  for  Customs  streamlines  the  electronic  exchange  of  documents  and 
information  required  for  the  goods  clearance  process;  The  Public  Procurement  Data  Space  facilitates  a  more 
comprehensive overview of public procurement in the EU; Identification schemes such as EU European legislation or 
case law identifiers, for cross-border exchanges in the legal domain. 
71  European  Commission,  COM(2023)  501  final,  Digitalisation  in  social  security  coordination:  facilitating  free 
movement in the Single Market. 
72 European Commission, SWD(2022) 45 final, Common European Data Spaces. 
73 Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, to procedures 
and to assistance and problem-solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012. 

14 

 
 
 
automated  exchange  of  evidence  managed  with  the  Once-Only  Technical  System  and 
verification of authenticity of evidence through the Internal Market Information System74. 
It will continue to facilitate the interoperation of Common European data spaces and further 
promote  the  electronic  exchange  of  information  between  public  administrations  across 
borders, enabled by the Internal Market Information System and the Electronic Exchange 
of Social Security Information. [from Q4 2023] 

•  Develop tools for increased interoperability and for the provision of seamless services, 
notably  it  could  set  up  an  Interoperable  Europe  Support  Centre,  supporting  public 
administrations  in  setting  up  interoperability  assessments  and  promoting  the  European 
Interoperability Framework, as well as its specialisation, such as the one for smart cities 
and communities. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Publish  an  overview  of  the  funding  opportunities  for  public  administrations’  digital 

transformation and the synergies between them. [from Q4 2024] 

•  Support the federation of cloud capabilities across public administrations to foster their 
technological  basis  and  enhance  their  delivery  of  public  services75.  To  do  this,  the 
Commission will procure an open-source Smart middleware platform, publish guidance on 
the public procurement of cloud services and foster interconnection and interoperability of 
public administration cloud services. [from Q4 2024] 

Member States are encouraged to use opportunities supporting their digital transformation, such 
as the TSI and other EU funding mechanisms, as well as targeted training and tools.  They can 
actively  participate  in  the  Commission’s  efforts  to  facilitate  the  electronic  exchange  of  data 
between public administrations across borders and to improve their interoperability. They can also 
use  the  Commission’s  support  to  digitalise  their  justice  systems  through  legislation,  funding, 
development of IT tools and promotion of national coordination and monitoring instruments. 

Pillar 3. Capacity to lead the green transition 

The EU has committed to become climate neutral by 2050 and to boost the efficient use of 
resources  while  ensuring  social  justice  and  inclusiveness.  The  fast  decarbonisation  of  the 
electricity production and the energy use is a critical first milestone, that needs to be complemented 
by more profound changes in sectors such as construction, transport, commerce, agriculture, waste 
and water management. Cities are crucial for achieving the climate targets as they represent 70-
80%  of  EU  greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  80%  of  EU  population.  Climate  change  requires 
boosting  resilience  of  infrastructure,  as  well  as  capacity  to  deal  with  challenges  like  extreme 
weather, frequent natural disasters, water shortages, etc. These are anticipated to negatively impact 
the biodiversity, with profound effects on the environment, and in turn on food production and 
carbon sinks. 

Public administrations have a key role in shaping the conditions for economies and societies 
to  deliver  on  the  ambitious  2030  climate  and energy  targets  and  should lead  by  example. 

74 Currently, the system supports 95 administrative cooperation procedures in 19 different single market related policy 
areas. 
75 Announced in the European Strategy for Data and reiterated in the 27 Member States’ Declaration on Building the 
next generation cloud for businesses and the public sector in the EU. 

15 

 
 
 
They need to mainstream the green transition across all policy areas and governance levels, based 
on  integrated  planning,  robust  evaluations  and  impact  assessments,  and  wide  consultations  to 
ensure  that  no  one  is  left  behind.  They  need  to  adapt  the  public  finances  to  support  the  green 
transition and social fairness via appropriate tax policies, green public procurement, sustainable 
finance,  and  investments  which  respect  the  ‘do  no  significant  harm’  principle.  They  should 
promote  the  systematic  integration  of  measures  to  support  healthy  ecosystems,  green 
infrastructure,  and  nature-based  solutions  in  public  and  private  decisions.  They  need  to  ensure 
adequate capacity for green reforms and investments across all levels of government76.  

The actions under this pillar will be implemented primarily through the TSI. 

7. Shaping the green transition 

The Commission has consistently made efforts to build up a comprehensive framework to achieve 
climate mitigation and adaptation, environmental protection and energy efficiency in the EU. For 
example,  the  Commission,  together  with  the  European  Environment  Agency,  offers  technical 
assistance to Member States on ex-post assessments of policies and measures, and reporting and 
monitoring  of  emissions.  The  Commission  supports  the  preparation  of  National  Energy  and 
Climate Plans and long-term strategies, the implementation of the just transition, green budgeting 
and ‘do-no-significant harm’ principle. It builds capacity to identify and share good practices of 
policies and measuresand to set up multi-level climate and energy dialogues77.  

Public administrations need to ensure the effective implementation of transformative changes in 
the energy systems. Moreover, given the emerging threats in the security and resilience of critical 
energy infrastructures, they need adequate emergency-response capacity. To do so, they should 
improve their cooperation, notably by enhancing  the sharing of knowledge and  good practices, 
facilitating the analysis of cross-sector and cross-border interdependencies and conducting testing 
exercises78.  More  widely,  they  need  to  step  up  reforms  for  energy  efficiency  and  renewables, 
mobility, circular economy, biodiversity and nature-based solutions, waste and water management, 
air quality, climate risk assessments and scenario building, land use and forestry. 

The Commission will: 

•  Support Member States in updating their national Climate Adaptation Strategies and 
plans, in line with the guidelines79, as well as in fulfilling new obligations, such as those 
stemming from the Energy Efficiency Directive recast. [from Q1 2024] 

•  Promote  the  implementation  of  the  ‘do-no-significant  harm’  principle,  including  the 
uptake of climate proofing guidance and other environment-relevant guidance. This 
will help build capacity and tools for green public budgeting, greening public investments 
and green procurement (for example, by strengthening the use of approaches that reflect 

76  Several  Member  States  have  RRP  measures  addressing  green  budgeting,  green  taxation  and  green  public 
procurement. 
77  European  Climate  Adaptation  Platform;  EU  Mission:  Climate-Neutral  and  Smart  Cities;  Covenant  of  Mayors 
initiative; Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms. 
78 The stress tests of entities operating critical infrastructure in the energy sector pursuant to Council Recommendation 
2023/C 20/01 should be completed by the end of 2023. 
79 Guidelines on Member States’s adaptation strategies and plans. 

16 

 
 
 
long-term societal  and environmental costs and benefits, including the values of natural 
capital, and energy efficiency criteria). [from Q1 2024] 

•  Promote tools and methods for climate risk assessments and risk prevention, such as 
sector  or  policy-specific  risk  assessments  (the  National  Risk  Assessment  for  Disaster 
Management  under  the  Union  Civil  Protection  Mechanism;  macro-financial  risk 
assessments) and local risk assessments (as in the Climate-Adapt toolbox). [from Q1 2024] 

•  Support Member States to develop capacities to plan, design and implement ecosystem 
restoration measures and nature-based solutions, as cost-effective and environmentally 
positive measures to maintain essential ecosystem services. [from Q2 2024] 

•  Use  the  Environmental  Implementation  Review80  to  identify  the  root  causes  of 
inefficient implementation of environmental legislation and policy by Member States 
with a view to designing support measures to improve environmental governance. [from 
Q2 2025] 

8. Promoting the greening of the public administration  

In  addition  to  shaping  the  green  transition,  public  administrations  at  all  levels  should  lead  by 
example,  by  adapting  their  own  organisational  management  and  promoting  staff  awareness  on 
greening81. Greening the public administration can include practices for sustainable use resources 
and management  of assets,  including  climate-resilient  buildings and working  spaces,  minimum 
life-span standards for the use of IT and other equipment, recycling, green procurement, reducing 
own carbon emissions and using renewable energy. The RRF and Cohesion policy widely support 
energy renovation of public administration buildings and some Member States included measures 
on greening their fleets and promoting flexible ways of working for civil servants in their RRPs. 
In  the  context  of  the  EU  Green  Deal,  the  Energy  Efficiency  First  principle82  requires  energy 
efficiency  solutions,  for  example,  to  be  considered  in  energy  system  and  non-energy  sectors 
planning, policy and investment decisions. The application of the Energy Efficiency Directive sets 
targets for annual energy consumption reduction for all public administrations, for the renovation 
of  public  buildings,  as  well  as  for  energy  and  resource  efficiency  requirements  in  public 
procurement.  

Moreover, practices can promote fair trade and sustainable food, and participation in projects that 
promote  biodiversity  and  sustainability  in  urban  and  non-urban  contexts;  and  encourage 
environmentally  friendly  behaviour  of  their  employees  (e.g.,  when  commuting  or  business 
travelling). 

The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) 

The Commission established this scheme to help organisations improve their environmental performance 
by  saving  energy  and  other  resources,  while  focussing  on  legal  compliance  and  promoting  staff 
participation. It provides a method to evaluate and reduce their environmental impacts and a governance 
system  with  independent  third-party  verification  for  greater  credibility.  286  public  administrations 

80 Environmental Implementation Review. 
81 European Commission, C(2022) 2230 final, Greening the Commission. 
82 Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action and the Directive (EU) 
2023/1791 of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy efficiency. 

17 

 
 
 
throughout  Europe  have  already  made  a  commitment  to  reduce  their  environmental  footprint  and  are 
registered in the scheme. 

The Commission will: 

•  Develop further guidance on the use of the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, 
to  step-up  the  reduction  of  organisations’  environmental  footprint,  and  support  public 
administrations in adopting the scheme. [from Q4 2023] 

•  Promote  and  support  the  deployment  of  methodologies  for  the  assessment  of 
organisational carbon footprint; facilitate the exchange of good practices on ecological 
transition. [from Q2 2024] 

•  Facilitate access to technical support and guidance for decarbonisation and improving 
overall sustainability of buildings, as well as efficient heating in public administrations, 
particularly at local level. [from Q2 2024] 

The way forward 

The ComPAct puts forward actions to be implemented gradually, primarily through the TSI 
and  other  EU  funding  mechanisms  with  a  view  to  promote  knowledge-sharing  between 
public administrations across Europe and facilitating the uptake of principles which are at 
the heart of European integration. The Commission will report on the implementation of the 
ComPAct under the TSI reporting requirements. Lessons learned will guide the Commission in 
targeting even better EU tools to support public administrations in the future.  

Member States  can  participate in the ComPAct at their own  pace and according to  their 
respective needs and institutional settings. They may choose from the actions put forward by 
ComPAct,  which  are  demand-driven.  The  tools,  methodologies,  peer  support,  experience  and 
exchanges  of  practice  put  forward  will  help  the  public  administrations  to  learn,  innovate  and 
improve practice and performance. 

The ComPAct will complement and add value to other existing forms of cooperation among 
the  EU  Member  States,  such  as  the  European  Public  Administration  Network  (EUPAN),  the 
Network of Directors of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration (DISPA), as well as in 
international fora and between expert networks. 

The ComPAct will only be able to deploy its full potential through a strong engagement of 
all actors and stakeholders of the European Administrative Space. For the implementation of 
the ComPAct, the Commission will interact with authorities in the Member States who manage 
the  public  administration  development  at  different  levels,  institutes  that  provide  training,  other 
entities as appropriate, as well as stakeholders such as the social partners, academia, and experts. 
This continued engagement will also be fundamental to identify relevant themes and future actions 
where EU support to public administrations can bring an added value. The Commission’s Expert 
Group for Public Administration and Governance will continue to be a key platform for dialogue. 
The Commission continues to be committed to contribute to the political dialogue at the ministerial 
meetings organised under the EU Presidencies. The active involvement of Member States and their 
reinforced willingness to share their public administration reform experiences, to learn from and 
to support others will be decisive to deliver on the ComPAct’s goals and ambition.  

18